Chicken Pox
by nicksfriend
Summary: Nick is sick again but will a murder interfere with him getting the care he needs? Probably!
1. Chapter 1

**Author: Nicksfriend**

Rating:k

Spoilers:

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note: Something different. A disease of the week kind of fic. I love Nick and I know I put him through a lot but if he weren't so darn cute well I would be picking on Gregg instead.

**Chicken Pox**

**Chapter one**

Nick walked into the lab, it was early but he needed to catch up on some paper work, he had been just too darn tired to finish the day before.

He looked around and saw that Greg had arrived early too and it was going to be hard to concentrate now, the kid was just too playful, he would be a distraction.

"Hey Nick, what are you doing here so early?" he asked in his general, more than enthusiastic tone, the kid had energy.

"Paperwork Greg, I need quiet time by myself to get it done before Grissom kicks my ass.." he was in a grumpy mood, he had awakened this afternoon with a fever and a rash, probably something he was exposed to at the crime scene the day before, a dumped body in the middle of a corn crop,the scene would definitely produce lots of mosquito bites and chigger bites.

"Call me if you get bored!" Greg yelled down the hallway as Nick found his cubicle, entered, then locked the laid down his folder and thought how nice it would be to have his own desk.

He pulled up the file on his computer and tried to concentrate as he scratched at the rash underneath his shirt, he could tell his rash was worsening by the way it was itching.

He finished the report just in time, it was time for assignments and he wasn't looking forward to a bad night but from what he could tell in the busy hallways, it was going to bad, real bad.

He saved the report and hit print, he waited while the slow printer finally spit out the papers and placed them in the file, he would need to give it to Janice to file away before he left, if he got to leave, the past few days or was it weeks had been nothing but doubles and triples.

He stood and unlocked the door, Greg ,like a giddy pup, was standing in the hallway waiting for his friend,"I thought we could walk in together, since we both have been here for a while."

Nick looked at the young CSI and just gave him a look of aggravation,"Sure Greg." he was not in a mood to babysit tonight, he just wanted to get his assignment and go with it.

They walked in the breakroom, Grissom was already giving out assignments, Catherine motioning for Nick to sit down beside her, a smile on her face, evidently he was partnered with her tonight and by her smile it had to be a 419, she loved dead bodies.

"Late boys?" Grissom asked looking over his glasses at the two men.

Nick felt a little pissed, if the man would come out of his office once in a while he might actually see what his team gives up for the job."Yeah, late as usual." Nick knew that he was acting out of character,his usual quiet and cooperative demeanor getting put on the shelf for the night. He scratched at the rash underneath his shirt unconsciously as Grissom continued to hand out assignments,ignoring his comments.

Greg was about to say something but Grissom cut him off,"Listen, it's busy tonight and we need to try and get as much done as possible without screwing things up, do I make myself clear? "

All heads nodded, around the table,except for Nick, who gave it an eye roll, they were the best team around as far as forensics and he didn't appreciate Grissom's remark, they were all tired, double shifts that sometimes turned into triples of late and Grissom had a tone,he just didn't get it, he never had, the team worked hard.

"Good, there are more assignments when you're finished with your scene,this will probably be a double shift day so make plans." he closed his folder and left the room, him and Jim were going out on a 418, a missing person at the Raddison.

"Nicky, I'll meet you at my vehicle in a few minutes." Catherine stood, she needed to get something from her locker.

He nodded and went outside and waited for Catherine to arrive, he had taken his kit from his car and had sat it down on the asphalt, he felt suddenly nauseated and walked over to some thick brush then emptied the contents of his stomach,"Damn." he remarked to himself, he felt horrible.

"Nicky! You okay?" A very concerned Catherine was now behind him, with that mother look on her face.

"Yeah, must of been something I ate," he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and walked towards her Tahoo, Catherine following. He picked up his kit and sat in the back, his stomach threatening to rear it's ugly head again.

"Nick, if you're sick maybe you should go home. Really." she didn't like the red flush to his cheeks, a sure sign of fever.

"I'm fine Catherine." he jumped into the vehicle and placed his seatbelt across his chest, a reminder of how bad the rash had gotten when the belt caused a stinging sensation, the belt felt too tight. He would remove it but it was procedure to follow all safety laws while at work, so he would just endure the misery it was causing.

"Here, when your stomach is feeling better take this." she handed him a pink and white pill and a bottle of water.

"What is it?" he asked as if he had no idea what she was doing.

"Benadryl, it will help with your rash, the one you've been scratching at all night." Catherine pulled out of the parking lot and turned left.

"Thanks Catherine, you're very perceptive." he quipped as he popped the pill into his mouth and took a small sip of the water, it also might help with his nausea, but he doubted it.

They drove in silence towards the crime scene, Nick even closed his eyes, Catherine thought he might have dozed off when he heard him scratching at his chest again.

"I'm taking a look at that rash when we get back to the lab." she announced out loud to her friend.

"You just want to see my chest Catherine." he teased, feeling a little better since he took the benadryl.

"That's true Nick, but now I have a good excuse." she looked over and gave him a smile.

"Yeah,you do." he gave her a Nick Stokes smile, the one that always melted her heart.

They pulled up the crime scene and got out of the vehicle, Vega met them in the parking lot,"We have a mess in there, it's the worst I've ever seen."

Nick looked around and observed the grim looks on the officer's faces, it wasn't going to be as quick as Gil Grissom wanted, it was going to be a long night.

**If I make him sick you know I will make him better...I'm a nurse guys...trust me! Hee hee.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author: Nicksfriend**

Rating:k

Spoilers:

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note: Something different. A disease of the week kind of fic. I love Nick and I know I put him through a lot but if he weren't so darn cute well I would be picking on Gregg instead.

**Chicken Pox**

**Chapter Two**

"Whatcha you got Vega?" Nick asked as he gathered his equipment from the Tahoo, grabbing a camera and his kit.

"Thirty-two old female,she was found by the neighbor in her bedroom, evidently the smell from the house is what led the neighbor to call 911 and us to further investigate his neighbor's house."Vega was now pointing over to an older male, standing in the yard of the victim's house.

"The officers came and upon further investigation we found five other bodies, all female in the basement, brutal force beatings, possible rape, all the victims were found without any clothing. Then we found one female in the bedroom on the first floor,it's a mess in there."Vega had a grim look,he had definitely been moved emotionally by the scene.

"Has the coroner arrived yet?" Catherine asked as she started walking towards the house.

"Not yet, you guys are the first to arrive here other than the officers and myself." he looked over at Nick,"I think you're going to need a few more CSI'S to assist, this is the worse crime scene I've ever seen." he gave him a look of empathy and walked over to open the door for the two CSI's to enter."You might want to go ahead and get your shoe covers on, I don't think there is a spot on the floor not covered in blood, especially in the basement."

"This is going to be a long night Nicky." Catherine remarked as she sat her kit down and pulled out the blue foot covers over her shoes.

Nick did the same as Catherine, covering each boot,his stomach already feeling as if it could go another round with the vomiting, he knew he had to suck it up and move past whatever he was feeling and see what was in the house. He didn't respond to Catherine except for a nod of the head.

Vega stood back, the smell from the house was overwhelming as the door was opened, the smell of decomp and rotted food filling their nostrils.

Both CSI's coughed,covering their nsoe and mouth,having to take a minute to adjust to the smell.

"Nick, you the first floor and I'll take the basement." Catherine directed.

Nick felt acid and bile creep up the back of his throat, he wouldn't argue, if she wanted five bodies in the basement, then he would take the one on the first floor, no problem.

"Sure Catherine, call me if you need me." He had already started following the blood trail through the house, like Vega had said, there was blood everywhere, he started taking pictures, moving himself slowly towards the body, which lay in the downstairs bedroom.

He looked around and noted certain details, the fact that all the window curtains were closed, he took a picture, there was food set out, as if ten people were having a meal, glasses half empty sat near half eaten plates of food. He took a picture of the set table , a table cloth which would have been a pristine white except for the blood spatter was still in its oringial position, the plates and glasses in exact placement, nothing disturbed, he found that odd with all the blood spatter. He looked into the glasses and the plates, no blood seen but it would still need to be tested.

The candles,which were still burning, nearly gone,he held his camera up and took another picture, a box of matches sat on a side table he bagged them, labeled them ,then tucked them in his vest pocket.

He had to be careful where he walked, the entire floor marred with blood spatter and vomit,he had to wonder to himself if the emesis came from the people in the house or the officers who had responded to the call,he would ask later.

He raised his camera again to take another picture of the floor, carefully documenting his trip to the bedroom, the scene still fresh in some ways.

He knelt down then reached down with gloved hands and felt the blood, it felt hard, dry. He then had a thought and reached over to another blood spatter and placed his finger on a blood drop, it was sticky, wet, the girls had died, but not at the same time, he must of performed the murders over several hours or days, a mental note was made and he stood to move forward.

He finally reached the bedroom door, he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to see,his stomach already feeling as if he might get sick again, he pulled out a plastic bag, if he vomited then he would vomit in the bag and finish his job, that's what he was trained to do, get the job done and push your own needs to the side.

He reached down and turned the knob, evidently Vega or one of the officers had shut the door, when he opened it up, a stronger smell of decomp hit him in the face, he gagged, the smell was overwhelming, he would be needing lemons by the bag full to wash the smell out of his hair and off his body.

The room was too dark to see the body so he pulled out his flashlight, not wanting to disturb the room, Grissom had taught him well, see the room as the killer had seen the room.

He raised the flashlight and saw that the body was lying face up, her hands and feet bound with clothing, probably her own, she was naked, the signs of a struggle evident. Port wine colored blood stained the carpet in spots,it was old blood,she might have been the first to die.

The bedspread and the furniture had blood spatter, the murder or murders had been violent, he took a picture of the room, using the flash, but he would wait to get details, when he eventually turned on the light.

He flashed the light to the burgundy carpet, it looked as if were spotted with darker red in some places, the walls were also spattered, the bed had been covered though, as if to protect it, as if the killer didn't want to get blood on the wooden frame,"What the hell?" he asked out loud, but to nobody, the room empty except for his victim and himself.

He took a picture of the plastic tarp, he would get more later. He looked at the dresser, it was covered with spatter also, a few essentials were lying on the top, brush, comb, a jewelry box, the girly kind that only mother's would buy for a daughter.

Seeing that his stomach might just hold up he pushed the plastic bag into his pants pocket and continued to walk around the room, taking pictures and mentally documenting the scene, memorizing details for his sketch that he would draw later.

His concentration was broken when he heard his partner calling his name."Nick!"

"Yeah, I'm here!" he answered, not really wanting to be disturbed, he had a connection already to the crime scene, his mind processing the visual information.

"Nick, we need to get the rest of the team here, this is just too big for us, I counted five bodies in the basement but I have a feeling that there might be more." her eyes already taking in the crime scene Nick had found, the smell causing her to cover her nose with her sleeve, but her partner seemed unphased, she made a mental note.

"Catherine, go ahead, I want to continue in here for a while." he answered, not giving her his full attention, his voice quiet as if not to disturb the dead woman lying on the bed.

"Nick, I think it's best to wait for the rest of the team, really." She glanced around the room and hallway,"This is one brutal crime scene, it needs the entire team."

He finally looked up and nodded,"I'll be out in a moment."

She nodded and carefully made her way back towards the front door.

Nick walked over to the victim, something he had been delaying, he placed the light on her face, she was beautiful, she had a classic beauty, her red hair,filled with blood spattered curls, her blue eyes looking up at him,void of life,but yet they were starring at him, begging him to find her killer.

He must of been starring at her for a while, a voice startled him from his thoughts.

"Nick, you need to see your partner, she's getting a little ticked at the neighbor," A officer informed him as he stood in the door.

Nick walked out of the room, again being careful not to disturb the crime scene and walked out the front door.

Catherine and the neighbor were exchanging words, he reached down and flipped off the blue shoe covers and his gloves and stuffed them in the bag he had placed in his pocket earlier. He looked over to Catherine who seemed oblivious to him,"Hey, we have a problem here?" he asked, officers all around the two individuals, waiting to protect Catherine if she needed them, Nick knew she could take care of herself but it was good to have the officers there.

"Mr Cale doesn't want to tell me how he got a key to the house. He feels that his rights are being violated by me asking such a simple little question." Catherine's face red with anger, it could be seen even in the night light.

"Listen sir, we have an investigation to run here so just tell the lady where you got the key." Nick's thick southern accent evident as he instructed the man in a calm voice.

The man looked at Nick and laughed,"Make me ass wipe! You want to be all tough cowboy, I'll show you tough!" He landed an unexpected punch to Nick's left jaw sending him to the ground, officers immediately taking the man down.

Catherine ran to his side, "Nick, are you okay?" she asked, concern on her face.

"Didn't see that coming." he mumbled as he got to his feet, a large red area on his jawline.

"You need to see a doctor Nick, he hit you fairly hard. Your jaw could be broken." she was concerned, the tender touch of her hand against his warm skin made him blush.

"I'm fine Catherine." He gently took her hand away, feeling uncomfortable with all the attention being given to his well being from his boss in front of the other officers.

She would address this later, her concern still present and more so now that she had noticed that her partner was running a fever. "Nick. I'm going to tell Jim to get us a warrant to search the neighbor's house on the grounds he 's hiding information and that that he struck an officer ,unprovoked."

Jim took that moment to walk up to Catherine and Nick, he took a look at Nick's face,"That had to hurt." he gave Nick a look of empathy.

"I need a warrant Jim." Catherine was already taking out her cellphone to call Grissom, she needed the team on this, it was a priority.

"Getting it as you speak ." he responded and was making a call, Mr Cale was now in handcuffs,cursing off to the side, officers holding on to him until Brass gave them orders on how to process the man, either for striking an officer, failing to cooperate with an investigation or as a suspected murderer, though they knew it could be all three given Brass's mood.

Nick was rubbing at his aching jaw and thinking about how much he was needing to scratch his chest and his legs,_oh man, now that's not a good thing_, he thought to himself, _the rash must be spreading_."Damn." he spoke it low so nobody could hear him.

He walked over to the Tahoo and took a seat, he felt wiped out already but he knew he had a job to finish, and he would, the victims needed him and the team to find their killer or killers.

He scratched at his chest, it was the worst itch he had ever experienced.

O**kay,as some of you already know...Chicken Pox in children can cause problems but when an adult has it then it can be really bad,some things can even be fatal, but that would never happen to Nicky because I could never kill my favorite character ,though I will make him sick.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author: Nicksfriend**

Rating:k

Spoilers:

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

**Author's note: Something different. A disease of the week kind of fic. I love Nick and I know I put him through a lot but if he weren't so darn cute well I would be picking on Gregg instead.**

Catherine walked over towards where Nick was sitting in the car,she was worried about her friend, he didn't seem to be acting like himself.

"Hey Nick, Grissom is sending over Warrick, Gregg and Sara, they should be here within the hour." she took in Nick's appearance, flushed face,swollen jaw and he was scratching at his arms and legs now."

"Listen, I told Grissom about your altercation, he wants you to run to the hospital with Brass and have it looked at,it 's policy." she gave him a small grin.

"Later Catherine, right now we have a crime scene, I need to start sketching upstairs, if you need any help with downstairs let me know." He stood and got out of the SUV and started back towards the house, he turned,"You coming Catherine?"

She was hoping Nick wouldn't be so stubborn but it looked as if he wanted to finish the crime scene first. "Nick,Jim is going to take you now, it's an order, if you're okay then you can come back, if not, go home and I'll talk to you tomorrow." It was the authoritative Catherine speaking now and he knew he wouldn't win.

Throwing down the pad he had in his hands ,he walked away, he was pissed, the woman inside needed him,and Catherine was playing supervisor.

"Bring a doctor's note when you return!" she yelled as Nick walked over to an awaiting Brass.

Nick got into Brass's car without saying a word," Don't worry Nick, she's bitten my ass before too." he gave Nick his genuine smile and pulled out onto the street.

Nick remained quiet,he just wanted to get it over with, and get back to the crime scene.

**Desert Palm**

Nick walked into the emergency room and signed in, letting the nurse know he was in a hurry, he had a crime scene to get back to and he didn't have time to sit around in a waiting room all night.

Even though the nurse really didn't seem too impressed, she walked back and informed the doctor who told her to send Nick Stokes on back.

Nick walked back with the nurse, Brass took a seat in the waiting room, he had work to do with the new crime scene, but unfortunately Brass was relegated to being his babysitter for the night instead. Catherine was really making this an issue and it shouldn't be one.

"Mr Stokes, the doctor will be with you in a few minutes." She proceeded to take his blood pressure and temperature, though he couldn't figure out why, the man had just hit his jaw, so why all the crap?

She looked at her patient as she removed the thermometer and jotted down the numbers,"Have you been sick today, vomiting, diarrhea, or any other symptoms?"

"He thought about telling her about the rash but he decided it wasn't a good idea, the truth wouldn't get him back to the crime scene, the truth could wait until he got off work."I'm fine, just fine."

She handed him an ice pack which he immediately discarded as she walked out of the room to the bedside table.

An older man with graying hair walked into the room and took a look at Nick's jaw,"He landed a good one, that's for sure." he remarked as he took in the swelling and discoloration. "Probably needs an xray," he then looked down at the low grade fever,"How are you feeling otherwise?"

"I'm fine." he lied again, seeing that this was going to take longer than he expected.

"Okay, I'll get an xray and we'll give you something for this fever. You might want to see your regular doctor if the fever persists, it could be a sign of an infection." he wrote the order for the xray and Tylenol then exited the room.

Nick followed the nurse into radiology and waited impatiently for the xray, the tech taking him after almost thirty minutes, his mood not improving with what he thought was slow service.

He walked back to his cubicle and awaited the doctor's report, he reminded himself that Catherine wanted a note,he would get her a note.

The doctor reentered with the xray and pushed it into the light on the wall,"Not broken, but you will have a nasty bruise, it's going to hurt tomorrow. I would recommend you use the ice pack my nurse gave you, it won't do much good lying on that table."

"I need a note so I can return to work tonight." happy that he could give Catherine the piece of paper.

The doctor jotted down that he could return to work then turned to him,"Listen, if that fever hasn't improved by tomorrow you really need to get it checked out." he then handed Nick his note and left the room.

Nick grabbed the ice pack, took the Tylenol the nurse had given him, then headed towards the emergency room exit, he needed to get back to the crime scene, he had work to get done.

Brass was a little surprised that Nick came out with a smile on his face,"What?" he asked curious to his friend's sudden change in mood.

"I got a note." he waved the piece of paper in the air as Brass followed him to the car.

"Awww, that's going to really piss her off." Brass's sarcastic tone evident.

"What,? I got her note." Nick opened the door to get into the car, Brass entered from the other side.

"I think she's concerned about that rash you've been scratching at all night, the whack to your face was just her excuse to get someone to see you,send you home where you belong." His seemed upset,"You didn't tell him, did you?"

Nick remained quiet for the rest of the ride, he only went to the hospital for his jaw, it was fine and he got a note, that is all that Catherine had asked him to do,and he had done it.

**The Crime scene**

As soon as Brass's car came to a complete stop Nick got out waving the note in the air, Catherine was looking a Nick with a surprised expression.

"I really didn't think you would be coming back tonight." she took the offered note and read it,"You didn't tell him about your rash, the fever or the vomiting evidently."

"I went to the hospital about my jaw Catherine, I got your note." he stated in a matter of fact tone.

It was turning into a pissing contest, Brass noted and decided before the two of them got into an altercation at a crime scene he would intervene."Listen, he got the note, let him get back to work Catherine."

She looked up at Brass getting the hint,"Okay Nick, sketch the crime scene upstairs, start documenting evidence."

Nick took off to get his kit, he was ready to get back to work. His rash actually felt worse but he would not scratch the itch in front of them, no matter how bad it felt ,he would not scratch.

Catherine and Brass looked on with concern, Nick was being too stubborn and they both hoped he wouldn't pay a bigger price.

**It is short but it is my birthday,so I am off to have some fun!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author: Nicksfriend**

Rating:k

Spoilers:

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note: **Something different. A disease of the week kind of fic. I love Nick and I know I put him through a lot but if he weren't so darn cute well I would be picking on Gregg instead.**

Nick walked back over and grabbed his kit and walked back towards the house. He spotted Gregg taking evidence outside of the house.

"Hey Nick, I thought you went home after that guy assaulted you in the yard, Catherine said he got in a pretty good punch." Gregg was taking pictures of the windows and the path that led up to the house.

"Yeah, well evidently it wasn't too bad, I'm back." cutting off his friend and walking forward into the entrance of the house.

"Well , I guess it depends on what definition of fine you use." Gregg muttered to himself as he continued taking the pictures, seeing that his friend wasn't really fine.

Nick placed his gloves on, then his shoe covers, he would need to catch every clue the killer had left behind and he felt that it started here, at the entrance.

He looked down directing his flashlight towards the floor,a shoe print, he sat his kit on the doorstep, he didn't want anything to contaminate the crime scene. He placed down a marker, number one, then took a picture.

They were probably a mixture of police,the neighbor's and possibly even Vega's prints, he would work that out later at the lab, all he wanted was the killer's prints, but this guy had been careful,he could tell by the absence of apparent fingerprints earlier, he would have to look closer.

He stood then walked forward, the dim light revealing blood spatter on the brown carpet,it was trailing towards the dining room area. Maybe he carried her, or maybe he directed the beautiful woman to the bedroom so that he could kill her there, Nick was thinking to himself as he continued to document the scene and take pictures, each blood spatter numbered, a total of 23 from the door to the dining room table, another 14 from the dining room table to the bedroom door.

No more shoe prints were found but had the blood dried, preventing any more impressions? Which only lead to another question,had days passed between their deaths or just hours? Had the killer murdered the victim in the bedroom last, was she his final victim?

His mind was racing, too many questions until they got it all in the lab. For them to be able to piece it together they would need all the clues, time of death, autopsy, photos,DNA,fingerprints, SARS kit analysis on all the victims, everything would come together to create a picture of what had taken place in the house, so he needed to get it right, they all needed to get it right if they wanted the murder solved and the murders of the five girls downstairs.

The quiet, stillness of the house of death was broken, when a recognizable voice yelled through the house."I have another victim upstairs!"

A frenzy of people started up the stairs, careful to avoid disturbing the scene.Nick knew he had to care for the victim downstairs, she was his priority. Sara could take care of whatever she found upstairs, he needed to concentrate on what was downstairs,the crime scene that he was in charge of protecting.

He stopped at the dining room, the table cloth again gained his attention, disturbed him, it wasn't wrinkled, possibly ironed,after the blood spatter was placed, then placed back on the table and set for a party of ten.

Nick could not help but to get nauseated again, what if there had been ten girls,they had only found seven,so were there three more missing or possibly even more, had the five died first and the table cloth used to move them, he shook his head, reminding himself, one step at a time.

He photographed the table and the plates, each one, documenting what each plate held and the amount of drink left in the glass,each at a different height, each with lipstick on the glass, he got a bad feeling, he probably would not find any DNA of the killer's on the plates or glasses. The food would be processed for poison and other chemicals or drugs. then something else caught his attention, no silverware, no forks, spoons or knives, he turned and opened the drawers on the cabinet, also empty,the killer had thought of the possibility they could use them as weapons.

"Catherine!" he yelled, needing to talk to her about the new discovery.

"Hey Nicky, you okay?" she yelled back from the hallway.

"Yeah, I need you to look at something." he was pointing at the table.

"What is it Nick? She asked,as she made her way towards the dining room.

"The table, it was set for ten, I think we have at least three more victims, possibly even more, I think the murderer set the table after he killed at least one victim,possibly even more victims." he turned and pointed towards the ten glasses and plates,she too noticed no silverware.

"Okay, I'm convinced too. I'll start broadening our search, we need to find the rest of the girls." she stopped and looked around the room," This is horrible." she mostly said it to herself,feeling the crime scene grow even larger and including more victims.

"I'll notify the rest of the team." she turned to leave ,but then she hesitated,"How are you holding up?" she was concerned and wanted him to know that she cared,removing her tough exterior and replacing it with a soft smile and a caring hand on his arm.

"I'm fine Catherine." He gave her a big smile," Really." again he lied, he needed to press forward finding evidence, he felt a connection,but he could not figure it out,why he felt so close to the scene, to the girl in the bedroom.

She gave him a nod,evidently his act was believed,Catherine then pulled out her radio and started talking to Jim, instructing him to widen the search, there was a great possibility of more victims. She disappeared down the hallway, and headed out the door.

He turned back to the crime scene, his attention full focus again, the girl was still in the bedroom, the coroners held at bay, there time would come, they had a lot to do, liver temps were already taken to determine time of death, he needed to see the results. It would have to wait though, he still had work to do at the scene.

He photographed the empty silverware drawer, the table, and the position of the chairs, all slid into the table,seemingly the same distance from the table,as if they had been measured, he noted it and took more photos.

He knelt down and allowed his camera to dangle from his neck then reached into his vest pulling out a tape measure. He slid the yellow flimsy metal to the table and pulled it back to where it touched the front leg of the chair,three inches, he turned and did the same thing to the chair behind him, three inches, his curiosity got the best of him and he measured each of the ten chairs, each measured exactly three inches."That's weird." he spoke out loud.

He stood up and felt the return of the unbearable itching, full force to what it had been earlier in the night, the balladry was wearing off and he needed to do so much more at the crime scene, he gave the rash a few moments to subside but it was getting worse by the minute, he needed to complete the bedroom, he felt that a possible major clue was there, he could feel it.

He knew what he had to do but it was going to get the wrath of his boss but he had to get through this, he turned and walked back out out of the house and towards the car.

"Nick, you need something?" Catherine asked as she came around the corner.

He stopped and nodded, he hated to ask Catherine for another pill but he felt a little desperate right now.

She walked over to the SUV and opened the door,"Nick, when we are done with this crime scene, you're to ride back with me and I am going to take a close look at that rash. Understand?" she gave him the pissed off Catherine look, it was so different for the kind woman he remembered seeing inside just minutes before.

"Catherine, I probably got into the poison oak or ivy at the crime scene yesterday, it's no big deal." he attempted to get her to see that it was nothing but a rash that would need some calamine lotion later, he hoped.

"Nick, I will look at that rash when we get back,no excuses." reaching into her vehicle she pulled out another pill and gave it to him along with his bottle of water he had left earlier.

"Gil called, he's busy with the other case but he said as soon as Ecklie's team arrives at the station he will send them here to relieve us."

"He can't do that, this is our crime scene Catherine." he found himself feeling a little bit territorial.

"Trust me Nicky, there's enough for everyone, we just found another victim in the car in the garage." her voice edging towards tears.

"That makes eight." his voice low and sad,this was the worst crime scene he had ever had to process.

"Take the medicine Nicky and get back to work, it'll be daylight soon." she walked away,leaving Nick alone, afraid to show her emotions in front of her friend.

He swallowed the pill with the water and went back to the house, he needed to process the bedroom.

Again he gloved and covered his shoes,he entered the house,this time closing the door, out of habit, he then walked past his markers into the hallway,reaching down he swabbed each of the blood spatter stains and then walked over to the table, each plate and glass bagged and labeled. The table cloth, he took more pictures of, the blood was dry so he folded the cloth and bagged it.

He reached down and swabbed the emesis on the floor, it reminded him how upset his own stomach was at the moment. He bagged and labeled the swabs, then he noticed how cool the room was, he hadn't noticed it earlier because the door had been open, but now it was noticeably cooler with it closed.

He walked over to take a look at the thermostat, it was on an automatic timer, he photographed it at the setting and the pre-programmed set times, all were at fifty degrees.

Nick felt that his time was getting close, Ecklie's team would be here soon, then he would have to take his evidence and leave, he had to process the bedroom, he wasn't looking forward to it but he had to do it.

He walked over to the door to the bedroom and walked in again, the body not disturbed by the coroner yet. He diagrammed the scene, blood spatter on the floor but none on the walls, the tarp had pooled,clotted blood, dark blood. The tarp covered the entire bed,no possibility of the blood getting on the bed from any angle.

He continued to photograph the scene, the dresser, the brush,comb and the jewelry box all documented and photos taken and it was bagged as evidence.

He swabbed the spatter on the dresser and even the inside of the lampt shades, he couldn't miss anything.

The woman's body still in the same position as it had been left earlier, except for the area where David had taken a liver temp, it was 92 degrees, the woman had been killed within the last twelve to sixteen hours but had the temperature of the room been a factor for determining her algor mortis?

He took pictures of the clothing bound around her ankles, it appeared to be underclothing, possibly a bra wrapped around both her hands and feet,her hands were fixed into a position as if she were praying, possibly begging for her life, Nick thought to himself.

He continued to take photos, then when he got to her face he looked at her beauty, timeless, she had the appearance of a twenty year old,her face wrinkle free, her high cheekbones would have been rosy if she still had a breath of life within her, her hair a beautiful color red, radiant even in her death, she looked beautiful, her blue eyes were piercing his soul as he starred down into them, they seemed to be calling to him, trying to tell him something, that he was missing a vital clue.

"Nick!" David called out as if he had been attempting to get his attention for several minutes.

"Sorry, you need something?" he asked still looking a little dazed.

"Are you ready for me to take the body?" he asked, moving towards the bed with the gurney.

"Yeah, sure." He moved back as David and another assistant entered to remove the body.

As they turned the body over Nick saw something, a piece of metal, a coin. "Wait!" he called out wanting to get a picture of it before he bagged it as evidence.

"Sure Nick." David and the tech held the body in place on its side, the cause of death not evident, the body held no stab wounds,there was no possible entry or exit wounds on her body, but yet it lay in a pool of blood. Had it been where the other victims had died? Maybe she had died from another cause, possible strangulation , asphyxiation,or poisoning?

He picked up the coin and placed into a bag and labeled it with his pen. David and his assistant walked out of the room with the body.

The tarp would needed to be processed at the scene, cross contamination could occur if they folded it over to place it in a bag. He would leave it for the dayshift.

Nick continued to take photos of the tarp, he knelt to take pictures of the lower part of the bed that was also covered, the tarp neatly tucked into the corners of the legs,the thick plastic smelled of death.

He stood, knowing that he needed to search the closets, two bodies still missing,but he was hesitating,a feeling of uneasiness came over him as he reached for the knob,opening the door he found something that he had not expected.

**Okay, this is harder than I thought but I won't give up...I promise!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author: Nicksfriend**

Rating:k

Spoilers:

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note: **Something different. A disease of the week kind of fic. I love Nick and I know I put him through a lot but if he weren't so darn cute well I would be picking on Gregg instead.**

He stood, knowing that he needed to search the closets, two bodies still missing,but he was hesitating,a feeling of uneasiness came over him as he reached for the knob,opening the door he found something that he had not expected.

"Are you a good guy or a bad guy." the little voice asked as he scooted himself further back into the closet.

Nick knelt down to see the little boy's face,his unkempt, pale appearance was a shock,his rather long brown hair looked as if it hadn't been combed in days, his clothes stained with blood and food, it was amazing this little boy was still alive in this house of death.

"I'm a good guy. I promise." he smiled at the boy and held out his hand for him to take it, not wanting to make any movements that might scare him more than he already seemed.

"My mommy said you would come,she never lies." he stood and walked over to Nick and grabbed hold of his neck and wrapped his small arms around it,his tiny hands clinching Nick's vest tight in his hands.

Nick just held the little boy for a few minutes, his own emotiosn getting the best of him but he knew he had to be strong for the little boy,"We need to get you out of here."

"Be careful." the little voice warned.

"It's okay now,the bad guy is gone." he attempted to comfort the little boy. "My name is Nick,what's yours?" wanting to get the little boy to focus on something else besides the death that loomed all around them.

The little boy turned his face towards Nick and smiled,"My name is Joey." he took a good look at Nick and smiled,"You look like my daddy."

Nick smiled at the comment but knew he needed to get the child out of the room, out of the house."Well, Joey I need you to close your eyes for me."

"I've seen all the bad things,it's okay, I'm a tough kid."Nick knew better, the little boy was terrified, evidenced by the tighter grip onto his vest.

Nick nodded, he understood the little guy had been through hell but he wanted to protect him anyways from anymore trauma."It's okay, I'm going to get you out of here,we'll go outside, there are more police officers and lots of good guys waiting outside, but I want you to close your eyes until we get there,please."

The little boy nodded and buried his head into Nick's neck and mumbled,"Okay, their closed."

Nick stood with the little boy and looked around at the empty room in front of him and walked out, passing the dining room table that was now a crime scene.

"Don't eat the food it's makes you sick." Joey whispered into Nick's ear as they passed the table.

"How do you know Joey?" he was concerned the little boy might have ingested some of the food.

"My mommy got real sick when she ate the food and drank the water,she went to sleep and didn't wake back up." the little body continued to speak to Nick with his eyes closed, his head still tucked into Nick's neck.

As Nick walked towards the front door, that was still closed, he needed to ask one more question, another chance may not present itself for a while,"Joey, did you know the person who did this to your mommy?"

With his head still buried in Nick's neck he answered,"It was a very bad man, he wore a scary mask,and carried a gun," Pausing for a few seconds as if to attempt to get rid of a bad thought, he continued,"He was the joker on batman." The little boy's voice cracked with emotion, evidence of the trauma he had experienced in the house.

"It's okay, he's not here anymore, I promise." he carried the boy out the door, all eyes fell on Nick as he motioned for the medic to come towards him.

The media who had seemed lulled by the lack of action at the scene came alive, like bees in a disturbed nest. Cameras were filming and flashing pictures of Nick and the little boy, Catherine quickly threw Nick her jacket and he covered the little boy's face and climbed into the back of the ambulance with the boy still clinging on to his vest.

Catherine followed Nick into the ambulance, shock was plastered on her face,"Where?" was the only word she could muster given the situation.

"The closet." He answered, it was a short answer but it was all he felt like giving at the moment, his attention focused on the little boy. He looked at the paramedic, "He might have eaten some poison food, we need to get him to a hospital." he instructed, not wanting to waste time answering his boss's questions.

The paramedic tried to assess the little boy but he would have nothing of the other people in the ambulance, only Nick.

Nick observed the frightened behavior of the little boy and knew he had to get him to trust the others, so that he could get the medical help he needed,"Joey, they need to make sure you aren't sick." Can you let them take a look at you for a minute?"

The little boy looked up at Nick with a sad expression, "I didn't eat the food, my mommy told me not to eat it and I didn't, she said it was bad right before she fell asleep." he held up a finger and interlocked it with one of Nick's, "I pinkie promise, I didn't eat the bad food."

Nick nodded and held the little boy tighter, he knew what the little boy was saying,'Don't let go don't leave me.'

The paramedic stopped attempting to get the boy from his protector, he understood, Catherine sat back and took in the sight of the little boy and Nick, the resemblance was uncanny, they could be father and son.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the ambulance pulled up into the hospital bay and stopped, the doors were opened and Catherine got out, then Nick with the little boy.

They walked into a busy emergency room with staff gathered all around to take care of the little boy, Nick waved them away seeing the the crowd was scaring him,"I need a pediatrician and a nurse." he stated calmly and walked into the small room with Catherine following.

Nick sat down in the chair and spoke softly into the little boys ear, the boy looked up and smiled at his new friend,"Okay."

Joey climbed onto the bed and lay down, still holding onto Nick's hand.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Kennedy, this is my nurse Candy, we're just going to take a look at you. Okay?"

Joey nodded, he would allow them to do their job, he was scared but he had Nick to protect him and he felt safe.

Nick was attempting to not scratch, the rash suddenly seemed to rear it's head again, he felt sick at his stomach but did not want to scare the boy by vomiting on the floor, he held on to his stomach and and leaned forward. He had to take care of Joey first.

"What is your name?" the doctor asked as he started to look at the boy assessing him for any physical trauma, holding off on any blood work for the moment knowing that needles weren't a good thing to start off with in these type cases.

Joey looked at Nick, who nodded approval for him to tell,"Joey." he answered getting a smile from Nick for doing such a good job.

"Joey, we need to take off some of your clothes so we can see if there are any cuts or bruises, is that okay?" he wanted to go slow with the small boy, not wanting to frighten the already traumatized child.

Again Joey looked at Nick and another nod, "Okay, but don't lose my money." he reached into his pocket and retrieved a coin, it looked like the one found underneath his mother's body.

Nick grabbed a glove from the open box at the bedside then reached out his hand and took the offered coin into his hand."Joey, where did you get this?" he asked as she stared at the odd piece of metal.

"The man gave it to my mommy, she gave it to me." he spoke to Nick, as if nobody else was in the room,"She told me to give it to the good guys but it's so neat that I want to keep it. Is that okay?" he asked Nick.

"Listen Joey, this might be a very important piece of information in finding who hurt your mommy. May I keep it for a while?" Nick's voice was calm and soothing to the little boy.

"Okay, just don't lose it Nick." he turned his attention back on what the doctor was doing. The nurse carefully removed Joey's clothing and placed them in a plastic bag and handed it to Catherine, then placed a gown with sesame street characters on the little boy.

Catherine watched as Nick was looking miserable in his chair and knew she needed to get him checked out, he was also ill but he was giving the child his full attention regardless of his condition.

"Listen,Joey. I need to go to the bathroom, the doctor and nurse will take care of you until I get back, I promise I'll be right back." he reluctantly broke the connection between him and the boy, taking his hand and placing on his stomach, he felt that he might pass out before he got out of the room.

Joey's eyes welled up with tears but he nodded and watched as Nick left the room, he was scared without the man, the good guy.

Catherine was at Nick's side as he made his way out of the room, She waved a doctor over, the same one who had seen him earlier in the night.

"Mr Stokes, is that you?" he asked just as Nick collapsed,the doctor and an orderly grabbing him before he hit the floor, they quickly loaded him on a gurney and rushed him into a cubicle, Catherine's first thought that he might have been exposed to something at the crime scene.

Catherine knew she couldn't leave the evidence, she pulled out her cell and made a call.

**More in a while, I need to run some errands. Feedback is always appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author: Nicksfriend**

Rating:k

Spoilers:

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note: **Something different. A disease of the week kind of fic. I love Nick and I know I put him through a lot but if he weren't so darn cute well I would be picking on Gregg instead.**

"Mr Stokes, is that you?" he asked just as Nick collapsed,the doctor and an orderly grabbing him before he hit the floor, they quickly loaded him on a gurney and rushed him into a cubicle, Catherine's first thought that he might have been exposed to something at the crime scene.

Catherine knew she couldn't leave the evidence, she pulled out her cell and made a call.

They got Nick into the cubicle, his eyes started to flutter open, the feeling of needle hitting his skin was his impetus to awaken,he felt the nurse tugging at his arm, a tight band wrapping around it and the feel of another needle hitting his skin.

He lifted his head and opened his eyes to see a doctor attempting to hold him down,"I'm fine,I need to get up."

The doctor shook his head, "You need to allow us to examine you Mr Stokes, you just passed out and there has to be a reason."

Nick gently waved off the flurry of activity, he noticed that Catherine was nowhere around, he felt empowered by one fact, that he could refuse medical attention and not get a lecture.

"I've got a stomach bug probably, I've been nauseated and the fever thing, other than that I feel fine," and the rash which I refused to let anybody see, it's poison ivy or oak, it just itches, he thought to himself.

"Listen, you want to get back to work?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah, I do. I'm working on a case and a little boy needs me down the hall, I can't let him down." Nick looked at the doctor who seemed to be hearing what he had to say.

"Okay, then let me run a couple of tests,see if you're infectious and go from there," wanting his patient to just comply with the request.

Nick nodded,"Tell the little boy, Joey, that I have a stomach bug but I'll see him after while. He needs to know he's safe." he closed his eyes and lay back down, he felt dizzy, nauseated again.

The doctor nodded, he would personally let the little boy know."In the mean time we need to get you out of your clothes and I need to examine you, so allow the nurse to do her job."

He raised his hand to his now aching head and nodded, his whole body feeling tired suddenly."Yeah, whatever, just tell the little boy what I said, he needs to know I haven't abandoned him."

The doctor nodded and walked out of the cubicle, the nurse busied herself with assisting Nick in removing his clothing, as she helped take off his shirt she noted the small tiny pustules on his back and chest,"Sir, have you ever had the chicken Pox?"

"I'm sure I have, when I was young,I really don't know." he confessed.

"Well, you have them now." she announced as she took his clothing over and placed it in a bag.

"That's a kid's disease." Nick couldn't believe the diagnosis the nurse had just given him, it seemed unbelievable.

"Well, children are vaccinated now for the virus, it's getting rare to see kids with the disease anymore, but adults do get it because they weren't vaccinated and they are susceptible if they never had it before." she gave him a sympathetic smile.

"No wonder I feel so bad." he mumbled to himself.

"Well,you are probably going to feel a whole lot worse before you feel better. Evidently the virus is having a major effect on your immune system. Adults can get really sick." she patted him on his shoulder and took the gown and placed it over him.

He felt so guilty, the little boy needed him and here he was stuck in a hospital with chicken pox,"Wonderful." Had he exposed the child unknowingly? He felt horrible, what had he done?

His head was aching so bad now, he needed to rest for just a few more minutes, then he needed to check on the boy, Joey.

The nurse took Nick's vitals and noted the fever was still elevated, she would need to check his chart to see when he had taken the Tylenol from his earlier visit.

"Hey, Mr Stokes is your head hurting?" the nurse asked the patient.

"Yeah,it feels like a migraine." he mumbled.

"Do you have a history of migraines?" she asked as she documented his vitals on the computer.

"No. I just assume this is how it must feel, like hell." He closed his eyes and wished the the light was not as bright.

"Have you been vomiting?" She asked,knowing that her patient wasn't feeling well.

Too many damn questions, he thought to himself and now the vomiting question,"Yes." that was short and sweet.

"How many times have you vomited in the past five days?" She hated to bother her patient but the doctor needed to see if he was dehydrated.

"Once but I think that is going to change." he said then he leaned over to throw up on the floor, his head pounding as he dry heaved afterwards.

"Okay, that answers that question." she stood and got an emesis basin and placed it in front of her patient."I'm going to see if the doctor can give you something for nausea." she disappeared, a tech coming in and cleaning up the vomit on the floor.

Nick lay down on his side, he felt like hell. His mind still on the case, the coins, the set table, the table cloth, it just didn't make sense, a man who wore Batman character masks, a little boy who no longer has a mother. Where the hell is the father?

The doctor reentered the room to examine his patient,"I attempted to talk to Joey but they are telling me he just shut down after you left the room, I guess the trauma actually set in and he's what the pediatrician is calling, catatonic."

Nick shook his aching head, he needed to get back to the little boy,"Have they determined his name or if where I found him was his residence?" Nick asked as the doctor was looking into his eyes with a flashlight.

"Julia, order a cat scan stat, I need to see what's going on with his head." he continued to assess Nick, ignoring his questions, his concern more for his patient at the moment.

"Will someone answer my damned questions and stop ignoring me!" Nick shouted, he felt irritated, his skin crawling and itching at he the same time.

"Julia, we need something for his agitation and for pain, get him some Demerol and some Phenergan." he motioned for her to hurry," Mr Stokes, I am a little concerned about the vomiting and the headache, I'm going to check you for encephalitis, it can be a complication of Chicken Pox in adults. I know you feel really on edge right now but I need to run these tests." He gave his patient a firm squeeze on his shoulder.

Nick regained control, he knew he was acting out of character but he needed to know about the boy and he felt sick, really sick."Just answer my questions, please."

"I'll find the answers while you're getting your tests, I know your head is hurting so I'm going to give you something that will help take off the edge and give you some relief." he helped role his patient over, assessing the rash on his back as the nurse injected him with the Demerol mixed with Phenergan into his right hip.

"That hurt." he moaned as the nurse rubbed the area to spread the medicine out into the muscle.

"It'll help your head soon Mr Stokes." the doctor replied, he was still on his side the doctor assessing the rash.

He could feel the effects of the medication as it was reaching his blood stream, he could feel his body reacting by becoming relaxed,he closed his eyes and fell to sleep.

**The crime scene**

Gregg was finishing documenting evidence in the garage, the woman had died behind the wheel, a single gunshot to the left temporal lobe. David and his tech had taken the body away, no purse, no identification, registration and vehicle tag all gone, glove compartment empty and the car had been completely ridden of anything that would have pointed to anything.

"Hey Gregg!" Sara shouted out from the entrance to the garage,"Where's Catherine and Nick?"

Gregg shrugged,"I haven't seen them, I've been in here all night, collecting evidence on my vic, but I might as well have been at home for all the evidence that I've collected."

"Me too, my victim upstairs was just like the victims in the basement, maybe Warrick found something." Sara was about to turn to go find Warrick when he heard his voice.

"I'll be right there Catherine,try to keep him in the bed," he hung up his cell and looked at Gregg and Sara,"I need to run to the hospital, Nick's sick, so Catherine told me to tell you that Ecklie will be here anytime."

'What's wrong with Nick?" Sara asked, worried about her friend.

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you." Warrick let out an attempted stifled laugh.

"Try us." Gregg wanted to see the humor.

"He's got the Chicken Pox." Rick continued to laugh with the others, Nick the kid with a kid's disease, priceless.

"We can go with you, we're done here and the dayshift is taking over, all we need to do is take our photos and what small amount of evidence that we found to the lab." Gregg suggested, Sara nodding her head in agreement, she just wanted Nick to see her laugh about his diagnosis.

"Okay, I need to turn what little evidence I collected in too, so let's meet at the lab, then drive over to the hospital from there." Warrick suggested, each nodding in agreement as they left the crime scene.

**Undisclosed location**

"Roses are red, Violets are blue,blood is pouring from you little boo boo." laughter filled the room, his hand flipping the coin, if felt so light in his hand, so light indeed, like a knife, he wanted to proceed with his next house of horrors but it would have to wait.

He stood and danced through the dark apartment, walking through the cluttered hallway he felt absolutely on fire, invigorated for what he had accomplished, he flipped on the television to see his grim achievement on the screen but he was shocked instead, there had been a survivor, " What,a little boy?"

"How did I miss the boy? How did I miss the boy? How did I miss that damned boy!" his repeated his mantra, his voice low and raspy, he gripped the coin in his hand, he needed to have another dinner, indeed another dinner, this time he would invite the boy and the man who rescued him,"Dinner indeed." he muttered to himself, he reached over and smelled the roses on the table,he loved the smell of roses.

Okay...now I'm finished with this chapter! Feedback always welcome.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author: Nicksfriend**

Rating:k

Spoilers:

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note: **Something different. A disease of the week kind of fic. I love Nick and I know I put him through a lot but if he weren't so darn cute well I would be picking on Gregg instead.**

**Desert Palm Hospital**

Nick arrived back in his cubicle from the CT of his head, he felt he should be feeling better but he actually felt worse. He rolled over onto his side,hoping that the nausea wouldn't return, the medicine at least taking that away but the pain in his head was still there,his fever was definitely rising,the rash was getting unbearable.

He looked around the empty room and took a breath, Catherine had decided to stay with the boy, at least he wasn't alone.

The doctor came into the room with his nurse Julia, they were preparing for a procedure, he just hoped that they would fill him in first.

"Mr Stokes, your CT is a little worrisome, but not conclusive , regarding the encephalitis, so we need to do a procedure called a lumbar puncture to determine if encephalitis is your diagnosis and we can proceed with the treatment.

Nick knew immediately that it would require them going into his back with a needle and pulling out spinal fluid,"No,I'm fine." he started to get up but was pushed back down by the doctor and nurse.

"Mr Stokes if we don't allow us to perform the test we won't know conclusively and that could be a problem in giving you the proper treatment, you could go into a coma, have seizures, even die."he wanted to convey the importance of the test and give his patient something to think about, the seriousness of what was happening and how important it was to get the proper medication.

Nick gave it a moments thought then shook his head,"No, I've got work to do, I'm working on a case."

"You're a patient Nicky and you can't come back to work until you're better." Catherine smiled from the door, th e doctor and nurse leaving the room to allow the patient's boss to talk to him, maybe she could talk some sense into his patient.

"Nick, what are you doing?" she asked as she took a seat beside him,seeing his pale, sweaty appearance was alarming,he was definitely sick but she needed to convince him how sick he was and that was hard when dealing with a stubborn Nick.

Dammit Catherine, she would show up now. he hated to think of his boss as a problem but right now she was being a big problem, he wanted to leave and she wanted to interfere. He shook his head,"Nobody is sticking a damned needle in my back Catherine,nobody."

"You hate needles, it's a well known fact and I don't blame you, but I also know that you feel a lot of guilt for leaving that boy and it's not your fault. You're sick Nicky and you need to get better because if this killer strikes again we both know he'll be a lot worse, evidently, he is escalating,which makes you wonder what he has done in the past." she reached over and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"I don't think the little boy is safe, it's just a feeling but the killer might feel he will recognize him,the killer won't stand for that, this guy felt he was smart and now he feels as if he messed up,it'll make him angry,and he might act on that anger by coming after Joey." he wanted Catherine to understand that he needed to take care of Joey, the boy trusted him to do that and he didn't want to let him down.

"Listen, get the test done, I will have a twenty-four seven guard taking care of Joey, the doctor is admitting him here in the pediatric department." giving him a small grin, hoping that he would listen to reason.

"It won't be enough with this killer Cat, he is a killer of the worse kind,I'm not a psychiatrist but there is something methodical in how he kills,obsessive-compulsive behaviors, maybe with cleanliness, he washed the table cloth after either killing someone on it or transporting a dead body with it, and he ironed it Cat, then set the table with it,the man is a nut case and we need to find him before he decides to kill again. Don't you understand,only our team can put it together Cat." wanting to convince her that he was able to work, even with the chicken pox he could do his job.

"No Nick, you need to get better and allow us to look at the evidence, you're health is much more important that any case, so allow them to do the test, I promise I'll keep you informed." she watched as he seemed to giving it some thought, his wrinkled brow a definite indication that Nicky was thinking.

"I do hate needles." giving up trying to convince his boss that he was well enough to continue working on the case, he knew he needed to get better so he could see Joey again.

"I know, let me get the doctor perform the test so we can get this over with and get you better." she was giving him a sweet smile and a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm contagious you know." looking up at her with fevered eyes.

"Yeah, but I've had the chicken pox,it's safe." she gave him a wink then walked out to the room to retrieve the doctor and nurse.

Nick knew it was a good opportunity to ask his questions, she would not deprive him of the answers while he was experiencing pain.

The doctor walked back in and washed his hands then donned sterile gloves while the nurse positioned Nick's fevered body on the table, instructing him not to move from his position.

He regretted his decision already, trying not to watch the doctor prepare the needles for the procedure.

"Okay Mr Stokes, you're going to feel something cold on your back." as he swabbed the lumbar area of his back with the cold betadine.

Catherine was holding onto his hand, stroking his hair that was soaked in sweat, the result of fever and pain.

"Who's residence was the house, did it belong to Joey's mom?" he asked as he felt the first sting of the numbing medicine hit his back, he grimaced in pain.

"Public records shows that it belongs to a Mr and Mrs Tetherman, that's all we know for now but Jim is investigating it more." she felt his hand grip her hand tighter, the doctor working quickly, the procedure was painful.

"Joey, did he say anything about the killer?" he asked, the question coming out between gritted teeth.

"Mr Stokes, you're going to start feeling a lot of pressure." the doctor warned as he positioned hte loinger needle into his lower back.

"The little boy stopped talking as soon as you left, the doctor thought it was a delayed reaction to all the trauma he had suffered, he might have been in that house for days with those dead bodies. We still haven't located the others, Ecklie's team is there now, hopefully they'll uncover something we missed." she watched as Nick closed his eyes, trying not to cry out with the discomfort he was experiencing, she gave him a soft pat on the shoulder to attempt to give assist his pain.

"Enough!" he called out,hoping that the doctor would obey his plea, his panting breath audible for all to hear.

"Mr Stokes. its almost over, just hang on a few more minutes." his voice comforting but the pain still being experienced by his patient.

Pleading eyes looked up to Catherine but she knew it had to be done,"Hey, ask me some more questions Nicky."

He recaptured his composure,"The coins,they have significance. Have trace look at them, he uses them as a symbol of power."

"They're old silver dollar coins Nick, I haven't talked to Doc Robbins yet but the other five bodies all were holding them tightly in their hands."her hand reaching over and grabbing a handful of tissues and wiping his eyes and sweaty brow, wanting to give him some level of comfort through the painful procedure, her eyes looking up as the doctor filled a tube with the cloudy fluid, not a good sign, spinal fluids should be clear.

"It's over Mr Stokes." the doctor stood, a worried look on his face,"We need to run some tests on the fluid but from what I see so far, I think you have encephalitis, it's an inflammation of the brain,it can be associated with a viral infection, chicken pox in your case."

He walked around where Nick could see him,"I won't lie, this is serious and it can be fatal if not treated properly, that means you will have to stay here at the hospital, be quiet, and get IV meds. You will be sicker before you get better but we'll make you as comfortable as possible."

"But I have a case and what about Joey?" feeling overwhelmed by the news, he had a rash and now he was being told that what he had developed something that could kill him. What the hell had happened in the past couple of hours?

"Listen, I need to get you to an isolation room,you're contagious ,so we need to take precautions,I'll be back in a while and we'll get your transferred. We also need to contact your primary care physician." he wanted to make sure his patient was comfortable,his own concerns were the symptoms and the possibility of a coma, he needed to get the IV acyclovir started as soon as possible.

Catherine was alarmed that Nick was so sick, her own thoughts were that he just had a virus but this was more serious. "I need to call your parents Nick." she stood to go get the numbers when she felt a firm grip on her hand.

"No, I don't want you to do that, if I get to a point where I go into a coma then yes, call them, otherwise don't call." Giving her a look of sadness,"Okay?"

Nodding in understanding, she walked over and poured Nick a glass of water and gave him a sip."You're too stubborn for your own good Nicky."

"Can't be too stubborn, I let them stab me in the back with a pitchfork." he closed his eyes, his vision was very sensitive to the light.

Julia, the nurse listened to the conversation, feeling as if her patient needed his family, he was unaware how sick he was going to get.

**ER Waiting Room**

Gregg was flirting with the receptionist as they waited to see their friend,the cute blond was just his type, beautiful.

Warrick and Sara sat over in the corner watching their friend make a fool of himself, no way blondie would be giving him a date, she looked like a model.

Gregg walked over and waved her number,"Yeah, I still got it."

"You've got a lot of things Gregg but class evidently isn't one of them." Warrick mumbled, embarrassed at the behavior of his friend.

"Jealous?" Gregg hit back, wanting to get a little respect from his friend, he had worked hard for that number,even though he might have told her that he was going to medical school.

"Jealous of a player? I don't think so Gregg." he picked up a magazine and pretended to read, trying to avoid his friend's arrogant behavior.

"Gregg,you need to settle down, get a steady girlfriend. It's just too painful to watch you beg for pity dates." Sara's remarks stinging the young CSI.

Gregg kissed the number and sat down, showing them that he was not bothered by their remarks.

"What if the number is a fake to get rid you, that would be funny." Sara continued to pick at her friend.

Gregg looked at the number and decided to call it, to prove he was a lady's man, he took out his cell and dialed the number, and awaited for her to pick up her cell phone.

"Graber's sanitation department, may I help you?" a husky voice answered.

Gregg quickly hung up the phone,"Doesn't prove anything."

"It proves that you can't take a hint." Warrick smirked , the magazine covering his face.

"You guys are mean." he placed his cell back in his pocket,"I'm going to get a drink and I would offer to get you two something but you are too mean." he walked away towards the coffee machine, leaving his friends with smiles on their faces.

They all stood as Catherine walked into the waiting area,the grim appearance on her face indicative of the gravity of Nick's illness."Hey." she took a seat so that she could face both Warrick and Sara.

"Nick is really sick , the doctor thinks he has encephalitis, an inflammation of his brain, he feels it's a result of the chicken pox." she paused, gathering her emotions about her CSI," I've never seen Nick like this before,he's in a lot of pain."

"I thought he had chicken pox,a kid's disease." Warrick felt confused, how could a kid's disease cause Nick to have encephalitis?

Gregg walked over and joined the group, the sadness on their faces all that he needed to see to know that Nick was in trouble medically.

At that moment the doctor walked out to answer any questions, seeing that this was his work family,knowing he had to be careful about giving them results of tests but he could answer their concerns about his disease.

Unidentified location

"I need invitations, yes that is what I need, invitations for the dinner,we will need a new tablecloth, something fancy!" running to the closed and pulling out a box, it was difficult to control the excitement that he felt, another dinner,it had to be formal. The best for the best.

He pulled out a white satin tablecloth trimmed with lace, it felt smooth in his hands, he wanted this to be special, it had to be special.

He stood and wrapped the tablecloth around him and danced around in the dimly lit room, the reflection of the light gave the cloth a yellowish tone,"I look so good in satin." rubbing his cheek against the cloth, taking in how good it felt against his skin.

Suddenly he had a thought, what would he wear, it had to appropriate. He walked over to another box, looked inside and smiled,he pulled out a top hat and a scarf,"I will be a gentleman,I will be Dr Jekyll." he laughed and continued to dance around the room.

He suddenly stopped as if someone called out to him,"Mother,what do you want? I already fed the dog, I always feed the damned dog." he reluctantly put his things away and left the room.

**If you are asking if the man is crazy...all I can say is reread the story!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author: Nicksfriend**

Rating:k

Spoilers:

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Author's note: **Something different. A disease of the week kind of fic. I love Nick and I know I put him through a lot but if he weren't so darn cute well I would be picking on Gregg instead.**

**Well. It's become more of a case than a disease of the week...correct me if I get it wrong ...here we go!**

**LVPD**

**Interrogation room**

Mr Cale sat in handcuffs across from Brass,the younger man was having no part of the questioning that was taking place.

Brass was getting aggravated at the silence from the man and felt the interview was going nowhere. He was about to get up and leave when the man got his attention.

"If I tell you what I know can I leave?" Mr Cale asked as he drummed his cuffed hands against the table.

"You struck an officer,it won't be that easy to just let you go but I will see what I can do if the information is worthy." Brass settled back down in his chair,waiting for a confession from the angry man.

"I heard a gunshot a few days ago, I think it was last Friday. Anyways, I went outside to check it out and saw the garage door closing to the Tetherman's house, I just dismissed it as a car backfiring in the street." he readjusted himself in his chair and continued to talk.

"The next day I didn't see any of the family out in the yard, I know the husband travels and usually the mother of the wife comes over to help out on the weekend but I thought it strange that I didn't see them, especially the little boy. Joey loves playing in the culdesac, he loves riding his power truck for hours, just around and around in circles." the man actually teared up at the thought that the little boy might also be dead.

"So, that's why you called the police but why did you strike our officer?" Brass asked,needing an answer to why he had hit Nick.

"He looks like Mr Tetherman, and I don't like him." Mr Cale looked up at Brass and shook his head,"He's a snob, never cared much for snobs."

"How did you get a key to the house?" Brass was wondering about the man sitting in front of him,wondering if he was being as honest as he should have been.

"The wife gave it to me, her and the little boy were out of town last week,they came back Thursday, I didn't have a chance to give her key back, I was just looking out for her place." He explained, biting his lip and trying not to give much eye contact to the man sitting in front of him.

"But you called the police today,told them that you felt something was wrong. That you hadn't seen the family in days and that you were concerned. Is that correct?" Brass sat back in his chair and gazed at the man.

"The wife is usually very friendly, she always comes over and borrows things for her gardening when her husband is out of town, she hadn't come over since she returned. She hadn't come to ask for her key back and I grew concerned." he seemed a little agitated with the last explanation.

"How did you know the husband was gone?" Brass asked, confused a little about the man's story,wondering what details he was leaving out.

"His gray Lexus wasn't parked in front of the house, he always parks it out front and covers it with a tarp. He's afraid his wife might scratch it or dent it if he leaves it in the garage. He's very particular, almost obsessive-compulsive in a way regarding a lot of things." He scooted around in his chair,staring down at the table.

"I need to verify some facts and I'll be back." Brass stood and headed out the door but was startled by the remark of the man in the chair.

"Did Joey make it?" Mr Cale asked with tears flowing down his cheeks, a big contrast to the man who had knocked Nick Stokes down earlier.

"I need to keep the facts of the case confidential right now but we will talk again." Brass exited the room and walked own the hallway,pulling out his cellphone and calling Catherine's number.

"Catherine." the voice answered.

"Listen, Catherine, I think we have another victim, a little boy, Joey Tetherman." he looked down at his notes and shook his head, something was not right about Mr Cale's story.

"Nick found him, he's here at the hospital, he isn't talking though." Catherine answered as she looked into the glass window of the ICU watching the nurses and doctors work on Nick, attaching wires and tubes.

"I'll be right there." Brass was about to hang up when he heard Catherine sniffle and it caught his attention."Something wrong Catherine?"

"Jim, Nick has been admitted into ICU, with a diagnosis of chicken pox but with complications. The doctor thinks he has encephalitis." She knew he needed to know, he was like a father figure to Nick.

"I'll be right there." he hung up the line and headed towards the garage.

**Unknown Apartment**

His hands were busy fixing a bouquet of roses with baby's breath and bright greenery surrounding deep red,blood roses. The rose was a symbol of the virgin Mary, it was so appropriate, the sacrifices he was making to his beloved mother, she loved him so much, she had been a virgin when she had conceived him, at his birth and had remained so throughout his life, she was a saint.

He picked up the finished product and walked across the room, his masterpiece was precise and he needed to get the flowers delivered before the poison was released, it was so perfect and so beautiful. 'This is the most beautiful bouquet I have ever seen', he thought to himself, so deadly, yet, so lovely. He smiled at his own thoughts, he would have it delivered in the next hour but he needed a card, with gloved hands he retrieved a piece of paper from a fresh package of copy paper and placed it in the computer and wrote his note,"Perfect." Taking the note from the printer he read it over and over,then realized he must get going, he had things to accomplish.

He took the flowers out to his car and sat them on a clean piece of linen he had just bought, he hadn't added the water yet but he would before they were were delivered. He then placed the note in the flowers after he folded it precisely into four square corners and he measured it with a ruler, three inches in length, perfect.

He placed his hat over his head and headed for 3657 Westfall Avenue.

**Desert Palm Hospital**

Nick was lying in the ICU bed, the white sheet that covered his body was soaked in sweat with specks of blood from the multiple sticks he had been dealt since his arrival in the ICU unit and the many times he had in confusion had taken out his IV line, he was drugged with meds to keep the pain in his head bearable, he felt numb and confused to his surroundings, a mixture of the encephalitis, the fever and pain medications.

A calm voice was sitting next to him talking about things that did not really matter right now to him, all he wanted to know is who killed the little boy's mother, where was the father and most important, why was little Joey able to evade the monster in the house.

His eyes were sensitive to the lights that shone all around and his mind wished for darkness, but the darkness also brought nightmares of the house, the eyes of the woman in prayer begging him to help her, to help her little boy.

The tablecloth was consuming his mind, it had a meaning, but what was it telling him? What clue was he missing? The table set for ten but only eight were found.it meant something but what?

He felt someone moving him over to his side, it hurt when he moved, the rash wanted him to give it relief but his hands had been covered with thick mittens and his body covered in a sticky cream, the smell made him more nauseous and he wanted to cry out for comfort but it was not allowed, he could not allow it until he figured it out, he would not allow the comfort until he was able to figure it out the connections.

The pieces of the puzzle were there but his mind could not pull it all together, he could not think for the drugs coursing through his veins and the fever and the headache, they all were fighting against his ability to be the scientist he had been trained to be and he was frustrated.

He pushed the hands away that were prodding him and he was given a firm warning of reprisal if he kept fighting the hands that were taking away his ability to think, but he couldn't help himself, they were irritating him, causing him to be unable to piece the puzzle together and they needed to go away.

"Mr Stokes, if you keep fighting us we will have to put on restraints, we can't allow you to pull out your lines again." The nurse was being as firm as one could be with a patient who didn't even know what world he was in at the moment and knew that she would have to tie his hands down to prevent any more loss of vital lines.

Nick looked up at her with fevered eyes and whispered,"I'll help you, just give me time."

The nurse thought he was actually talking to her and replied,"You're out of time Mr Stokes,you're taking to long to understand. I need to move on."

The words hurt, the woman was tired of him just lying around doing nothing, he needed to help her, he needed to leave the confines of this hellish prison.

The nurse looped the restraint through the mittens and hooked it to the bed, his hands were firmly constricted to the bed, it would assist in allowing her patient to get better, she gave him a sad look and walked away.

He closed his eyes in defeat, he felt as if he had let the woman down, Joey too.He knew he could not fail them though, he had to find a way to escape his confines.

**Okay...this is going to get moving fairly quickly...I hope you like!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author: Nicksfriend**

Rating:k

Spoilers:

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

**LVPD**

**CRIME LAB**

"Mr Grissom!" Jamie called out as he entered the lab,"Catherine and Brass have been trying to find you."

Grissom looked up at the new receptionist temp and shook his head then reached for his cellphone,"Guess my battery is dead. What did they want." his hands were busy holding evidence from the Raddison, his missing person had turned into a homicide, his head hurt and now he was feeling as if more bad news was on it's way.

"Nick Stokes was admitted to Desert Palm Hospital this morning, it sounds bad." she gave him a sad expression then pointed to the bouquet of flowers on her counter."I thing these were delivered for Mr Stokes here by mistake,someone night want to take them to the hospital."

Grissom noted the large vase of dark blood red roses and reached yo with his had and grabbed the vase,"I'll take them to him as soon as I deliver this evidence." he rushed off with the flowers and delivered the evidence to Hodges who smiled, almost thinking that his boss had remembered his anniversary of arriving at the lab but he walked off with the vase so he shrugged, somebody would remember, surely.

Grissom arrived in his office and sat the vase on his desk and picked up his phone, dialing Catherine's number, but no answer. He then reached over and plugged his cellphone into the charger. He had to find his staff , or maybe they were all over at the hospital. 'Had Nick been sicker than Catherine had described earlier on the phone?', he thought to himself as he dialed Warrick's number but again no answer.

Feeling frustrated that he couldn't reach anybody he stood and left his office, shutting his door behind him as he walked out into the lab to see if any of the staff had come back to the lab. After several minutes he spotted Wendy waving him down,"Mr Grissom, I think I found something regarding Nick and Catherine's crime scene."

He stopped to give her his attention even though he really had no clue to what she might be talking about or what their case involved at the moment, he was too busy with his own and now Nick was hospitalized, he was oblivious to the case and he needed to get his own evidence processed.

"I'm sorry about Nick." she gave him a look of sadness,"But it's only the Chicken Pox, it's a kids disease, he should be fine. Right?"

Grissom gave her a look of surprise, had Nick been diagnosed with Chicken Pox? He nodded and felt he needed to talk to Catherine, "What do you have?" Not really giving her any clue that he didn't even know what was going on with his CSI.

"I ran a DNA on the blood on the tablecloth, it had six donors, none of which matched Mrs Tetherman. The five women found in the basement were matches. The woman in the garage and the woman upstairs were not matches either. It seems there is a sixth unknown on the blanket." she handed him the report and watched as he scrunched his eyes at the results.

"I'll let Catherine know, thanks." he looked up with a confused look and asked,"Have you seen any of the team in the last hour?"

"I think Sara went to the breakroom about thirty minutes ago." she replied as she headed back towards the lab area, she was in overtime and still had a lot of work to complete.

Grissom walked towards the break room, hoping to find Sara but she was nowhere to be seen, he carried the paper with Catherine's results trying to figure out what connection this was having in his mind, something strangely familiar was knocking at his brain.

He reached for the door handle to open the door to his office when he suddenly stopped, his keen senses were kicking in as he noticed something about the flowers he had just sat on his desk just minutes before, they were drooping down now and then he glanced over at his collection of bugs and noted that none of them were moving.

He quickly pulled the fire alarm and pulled off his jacket and placed it at the bottom of the door, something was definitely wrong and he knew it was bad.

"I need everybody out of the building!" he yelled as he covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief.

People moved quickly from the building, and an emergency call was placed to the fire department, for a possible bio-hazard.

**Desert Palm Hospital**

Catherine and Warrick sat in the waiting area,awaiting any news on their friend. Gregg and Sara had left, they would return later that day, but Catherine, the guardian mother and Warrick the protective brother, could not move themselves to leave.

A doctor in white scrubs entered the ICU waiting area and motioned for them to follow him to a private room.

"I'm Dr Madden, I just wanted to touch base on a few issues regarding my patient." he motioned for them to sit."Are we clear that Mr Stokes did not want his family contacted?"

Catherine spoke up,"He specifically asked me not to call them unless he was in a coma state."

"That is what the nurse informed me also but Mr Stokes is still awake and responding. His fevers are still high and he has one hell of a headache,but he is hanging in there as well as one with encephalitis can given the same situation."

Warrick and Catherine gave each other a relieved look,they were expecting the worse.

"Can we see him?" Warrick asked rather timidly.

"I was thinking he might be able to have visitors tomorrow, right now he needs extreme quiet, his brain is inflamed and he is very sensitive to light,sound or even any touch. We are providing a dark room with as much quiet as possible, he tends to fight any hands within touching distance." The doctor wanted them to understand the seriousness of their friend's condition and that he wasn't pushing them away.

Warrick's mind went back to the case where the man suffered encephalitis on the plane and had been irrational, his symptoms were ignored and he died. He remembered Nick's buttercup remark, it made him smile.

"They, you will call us if there's any changes?" he asked wanting to make sure they would contact them if any changes in his condition occurred.

"Absolutely, he really is in good hands,it's just going to take some time but even when he is out of the woods he will need you, this is not so easy of a diagnosis to get over in a day." the doctor stood and opened the door, he still had rounds to get done.

"Thanks, we do appreciate your time Dr Madden." Catherine smiled and walked out the door with Warrick following, the vibration of her phone caught her attention.

Warrick's was vibrating also, the text read, "Problem at the crime lab, all staff report.' "Wonder what this is about?" he thought to himself as he glanced over at Catherine as she read the same message.

Catherine shrugged, "Probably a drill, I'm sure it's nothing but we better get going."

Warrick followed Catherine out of the ICU area to the garage.

**Joey Tetherman's room**

**Pediatric/Psychiatric Floor**

Joey lay in his bed, a sitter had been assigned due to his young age. His eyes were open and he stared forward, no words had left his mouth since the man who saved him had disappeared.

The older woman who had been assigned to sit with the small child sat silently reading a book to pass the time,unaware of the man who was standing outside the door.

**You can tell me if you like it or not...don't be shy and thank you to those who have left the reviews, I love them and appreciate them.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author: Nicksfriend**

Rating:k

Spoilers:

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Warrick pulled the SUV up as close to the lab as possible, emergency vehicles were everywhere, Catherine's car was pulling up behind him, they both exited their vehicles and Warrick glanced over to see that Catherine was on her cellphone."Get a hold of Grissom yet?" he asked, also having his cell out ready to make the call.

"No, He's not answering his phone. I don't know why he carries a phone, he never has it turned on or the battery is dead, one or the other." she flipped the phone closed as they both started walking towards the crime tape, noting the hasmat suits right away. Showers had been set up and a lot of people were wearing scrubs and a few individuals were being loaded into ambulances.

Warrick saw Archie standing in green scrubs off to the side, an onlooker to the ongoing chaos which was their lab,"What's going on Archie?" Warrick yelled getting the young man's attention.

Archie turned to see his boss Catherine and Warrick walking up to the line,"I'm really not for sure, the fire alarm went off, we were told to evacuate and then we all had to shower. I'm thinking we had a chemical spill in the lab but really man, I just don't know."He shrugged his shoulders and gave Warrick an 'I'm just as lost as you are for answers' look.

Catherine and Warrick nodded in understanding simultaneously and walked under the tape,recognized by their fellow colleagues as they approached a shorter man with his back turned in scrubs, it was Grissom and he was talking to Ecklie, who had a look of deep concern on his face.

"Gil, what the hell happened?" Catherine asked as she entered into view of the man whos eemed at a loss for words at the moment.

Grissom turned and nodded for Warrick and Catherine to follow him, leaving Ecklie to deal with the media storm that was about to erupt.

They walked away from the crowds and into the the police station which had been deemed safe by the hasmat crew ,even though the lab was still cordoned off for the time being.

"What happened?" Warrick asked the question, again hoping that Grissom would give them an answer this time.

"Chlorine and Ammonia in a bouquet of roses." Grissom answered, his voice low and troubled, as he continued to walk towards the interrogation room.

Catherine was confused and so was Warrick, they gave each other a look of 'What the hell is he talking about?'.

"Quit being a mystery Gil, what happened?" Catherine didn't like her boss's riddles. They walked into the small room and turned towards Gil with arms crossed and a look of don't even play the mind games today, I've got enough on my plate this morning.

Grissom leaned against the table, it had been a long night and the day was just getting started,"A bouquet of roses came to the crime lab addressed to Nick Stokes, it sat out in the waiting area for about thirty minutes according to the receptionist. When I arrived back at the lab I brought the flowers to my office, knowing that Nick was at the hospital, it just made sense that someone was sending him flowers but rather odd given the time of day that they had arrived. I had to leave the office for a few minutes but when I returned I noted that some of my insects were dead and so were the flowers." He looked up to see the pale- ashen faces of his co-workers, the realization that it could have been one of their own team members that possibly could have been poisoned by the gaseous fumes hitting both of them.

"Somebody is trying to hurt Nick?" Warrick asked in disbelief.

"No. Somebody is trying to kill Nick." Grissom returned, seeing that they were missing a key piece of evidence.

"The hasmat crew found a note attached to the bouquet of flowers, it's being worked up as we speak. It was a poem for Nick." he looked up and started to recite the words he had jotted down on a piece of paper.

_**Roses are Red**_

_**Intrusions are bad**_

_**You found a little boy**_

_**That makes me mad.**_

_**So now You will have to pay the reaper**_

_**You are no longer the little boy's keeper**_

_**He is mine and You will see**_

_**To Your's and His life... I now hold the key.**_

"Another lunatic." Warrick's only response to the words of the poem, not fully realizing what they implied.

"He must of seen the news video of Nick finding the little boy." Catherine raised her hand and covered her mouth, the lives of two people had been jeopardized by the news coverage of the event."The news crew must of broadcasted Nick carrying the little boy out of the house."

"I'm afraid that Nick and the little boy are now this monster's target." Grissom handed the piece of paper to Warrick who stood speechless, just taking in all the facts as they were given to him by Grissom and Catherine. He had talked to Catherine some regarding the case but he didn't have all the details,Nick and Catherine were the lead investigators on this case.

"Ecklie has placed both under protective custody, but this man is smart, he walked right into our lab, he has no fear, he is clean with his work too, no prints no video and no trace. I sent all the evidence to our satellite lab." Grissom was attempting to place all the puzzle pieces together," They couldn't find anything on the note, the vase or the flowers."

"The little boy's name is Joey Tetherman,he's in a catatonic state right now according to his doctors, I really don't want him traumatized any more with strangers so I'm going back to the hospital and stay with him until we can find his father." Catherine was starting towards the door but turned,"Gil, Nick was diagnosed with encephalitis this morning, he's very sick. This case can't interfere with him getting better." It was not only a statement but a warning to her boss not to get Nick involved further until his health improved, with the case,she then turned and walked out the door.

Grissom nodded in understanding as she left the room, he knew the implications of stress on recovery, especially with Nick being involved and the little boy whom he had found,Nick would feel responsible.

Grissom took a seat after Catherine left with his mouth gaped open, how ironic that his CSI was actually fighting for his life in two respects now. He knew what had to be done."Warrick you need to try and find the father of this boy, in the mean time I will take a look at all the evidence. Wendy told me earlier that the tablecloth held six DNA'S, five matched the victim's in the basement and one was an unidentified donor."

Warrick handed the piece of paper back to Grissom,"That don't make sense, there were eight bodies found in the house and there was only five matches, the victim that Nicky processed had no wounds, he was thinking that she had been poisoned. What about the tarp that the victim was lying on when they found her, the amount of blood on the tarp was copious according to Catherine."

"What tarp?" Grissom asked, curious about the evidence in the case now that it was involving one his team members.

**Desert Palm Hospital**

Catherine arrived at the hospital after taking a few detours to get there, traffic had been a bear. She walked up to the desk and told them she had been assigned to stay with the boy but the nurse gave her a look of horror,"What do you mean, the little boy was taken home by his father about an hour ago?" the nurse pulled up the chart and handed Catherine the AMA form signed by a Mr Tetherman.

"What the hell?" she asked, he was placed under protective custody. He shouldn't have been allowed to leave." her voice full of panic and venom for the person who had taken the little boy, as she slid by the nurse and went to the room where the little boy had been.

She opened the door to find a cleaned room, the bed made and the room smelled of Lysol and hospital disinfectant."Dammit!" she yelled into the room,unable to control her anger, the little boy was gone and she had no idea where he had been taken or who had taken him.

She pulled out her cell and dialed Grissom's number,hopefully she could get a description of the man from the staff.

**Intensive Care Unit**

"Mr Stokes, we need to turn you onto your side, okay." the sweet sound of a nurse's voice was penetrating his brain cells. Why did they always have to say 'okay' because no matter what he wanted she was still going to get her way.

A gentle hand reached over and undid the restraints on his wrists and assisted by a tech he was moved, the staff kept the lights off in the room, his eyes sensitive to the bright white glare."I need to give you some medicine in your IV, it'll make your head feel better,okay."

He felt the restraints reapplied and the sting of the medicine as it hit the already inflamed vein where the angiocath was taped, but he didn't want to complain, all he wanted to do was to sleep,he knew what he needed to do ,help find the killer, but he was too tired and all he wanted to do was sleep.

The nurse walked back out at her desk outside her patient's room to chart, the tech had left to help another nurse with a task. Julianna looked over at her sick patient, she had treated his fever and his headache but he still seemed very uncomfortable, a _fitful rest_ is what her mother would have called it, she would give him something to help relax him, to allow him to actually sleep.

Julianna walked off to get the medication, a man now stood beside the table,the ICU hectic with staff members coming and going, he was looking at the sick man in the bed, a smile spread across his face, this was going to easier than he had thought. He took out a small syringe filled with an auburn colored liquid and walked over to Nick's bed, lowering the sheet he jabbed the uncapped needle into Nick's thigh, the man barely reacted, too sick to even respond the way he should have responded, the man then walked off,undetected.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author: Nicksfriend**

Rating:k

Spoilers:

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.

Catherine pulled out her cellphone as she made her way towards security,"Gil, the little boy is gone, Joey Tetherman's father signed him out AMA." She glanced at her watch,"It was over an hour ago according to the papers."

"Did we get an address or location on the father?" Grissom wondered to himself how the father would have known that his son was in the hospital?

"Gil, no address that is different than were we found Joey. I'm going to security to see if we have any footage of the man who took the little boy. The nurse said he looked normal, five foot eleven, auburn colored hair,brown eyes and and a really nice smile." she reached security's door and gave it a knock.

"That description could fit anybody, even Nick." he spoke it out loud, not really giving much thought to the words he had just spoken.

"listen I'm going to see it they have tapes of that floor or the hallways and I'll call you back." she was about to hang up the phone when Grissom interrupted.

"I was going to ask Ecklie but I'd rather ask you, what about a tarp found at the crime scene?" his curiosity had been peaked with this detail.

"Nick's victim was in a downstairs bedroom, she was lying on a tarp that covered the bed, Nick took a lot of pictures but they probably haven't made it back to lab yet,actually I think the camera was with Nick when he left the scene with the little boy. They probably locked it up when they admitted him, I'll ask security what they did with wNick's valuables. Listen I have to go." She ended the call and walked into the opened door introducing herself to the security officer.

**Crime lab**

Warrick was running a background on Mr Joseph Henderson Tetherman and was coming up empty, the man was almost as squeaky clean as his partner Nick. Tetherman was born in Dallas, Texas on August 18,1971 at Dallas/Wallace Memorial. No history of even a speeding ticket,the man was a saint.

He looked over at the printer/fax machine awaiting a picture of the man who had seemed to elude everybody so far, his company was sending a picture they had on file. The man had not shown up for work for several days and they had just reported him missing that morning.

He stretched sore and tired muscles, a double was quickly turning into a triple and soon it would be time to come back on his shift,he was dead tired and he would still need to go and see Nick after his shift ended, he needed some caffeine.

He was about to leave the room to get a cup of coffee when the beeper on the copier/fax machine sounded. He walked over and picked up the picture, his hand almost dropping the photo,his facial expression a look of shock,he needed to find Grissom.

**Tetherman House**

**Crime Scene**

Grissom exited his SUV,officers were still on the scene as well as Ecklie's dayshift crew, still obtaining evidence and looking for bodies.

He walked over to the entrance to the house and looked around, slipping on a pair of gloves and a pair of shoe covers, he looked at the door, no forced entry, he entered, pulling out his flashlight,shining it towards the dining room area, the trail of blood dry now, no puddles,very interesting, he thought himself as he continued down the hallway.

The table, where the blood stained tablecloth had been found, set for dinner for ten, now was empty.

There were eight bodies found and a little boy that had stayed hidden, the killer had no idea that he was even in the house. The table setting a clue to maybe what the killer was thinking,Nick had documented the same theory in his notes.

The chairs and table had been printed, he needed to see the pictures of how it looked prior to the team dismantling the scene. Nick's notes had indicated that the chairs had been precisely three inches from the table, measured by Nick.

He continued to walk towards the bedroom, a noise of a motor coming from behind the closed doors, he reached over and opened the door to find a CSI starting to vacuum the tarp that still draped the now empty bed.

"Hey, stop, I want to take a look first." he yelled so his voice could be heard above the motor.

The CSI turned and nodded his head and flipped off the power then walked out of the room. Most of the CSI team members knew Grissom liked to work an area alone, in a quiet place, so no questions were asked.

Grissom walked around the room, taking in the crime scene the way Nick had seen it, his unfinished report described the woman in the bed, her hands and feet tied with clothing, mostly with underwear. No spatter on the walls but blood evident on the floor, on the dresser and on the bedspread that had been folded and laid at the foot of the bed.

The tarp covered the bed,tucked in as to protect the bed itself from the blood or was it to protect the crime scene? Grissom continued to walk around the room, observing how things were placed.

He had read Brass's report, Mr Cale had said that Mr Tetherman had covered his car with a tarp in front of the house everyday and that is how he knew he wasn't home for the past few days. Also noted was that the wife had been out of town prior and had given the extra key to Mr Cale, the neighbor. Where had she been?

He continued to place the puzzle pieces together, a man who would not hesitate to kill, who seemed from the looks of it to actually enjoy the chase and the kill.

His eyes scanned over to the music box that sat on the dresser, he walked over and took a picture, it meant something,just like the coin left behind on each victim. He reached over and started to lift the lid when something inside him stopped his movements,something was off,something was not right.

The box didn't fit into the room, it was off to everything else. A grown woman with a kid's jewelry box. He stepped back,thinking about the roses,how the possible killer had planted the poison within the flowers,nobody would expect poison in flowers,nobody would expect poison in a child's music box.

He turned to see an officer outside the door, "I need the scene cleared! Now! He yelled as he shut the door to the room and exited the house with the rest of Ecklie's team and officers, the hasmat crew being called as he walked out the front door.

He walked back to his SUV and entered, the heat of the summer day hitting him in the face as he entered causing a sweat to form on his face,his hand quickly dialing a familiar number,"Doc, I need the autopsy reports on Mrs Tetherman and the other victims now."

**Desert Palm Hospital**

Sara glanced at her watch, she had been unable to sleep and wanted to check on her friend, she was worried, Nick had been through Hell over the past couple of years and she really just needed to see him to make sure he was doing okay.

She was about to hit the button to the elevator when she saw Catherine walking down the hallway loaded down with a box and bag, what the hell was she doing?

"Catherine, what's wrong?" she asked as she walked towards the assistant supervisor.

"Joey is gone and we are trying to see who took him, I was going to the media center to view these tapes, you want to come?" she asked as she handed a bag to Sara, easing the load in her arms.

"I was going to see Nick first, see how he's doing." she looked over at the multitude of tapes in the box and bag, this was going to take some time.

"I have a team getting prints in Joey's room and a team in the garage looking at tapes too. Nick can't have visitors until tomorrow so for now we need to focus on who took that little boy." she was tired and she was worried about the small defenseless child that had gone missing and about Nick, but she had a job to do and Nick was going to upset to find out the boy was gone.

Sara nodded and followed Catherine,she would still check on Nick before she left, she had a way of getting past the red tape especially when it involved her friends.

**Intensive Care Unit**

Julianna was observing her patient, his increased restlessness had initiated a call to the intensivist and an MRI scan of the brain which had proved to be unchanged since his last film on admission. Her patient's irritation was increasing and he was fighting the sheet that covered his sweaty body and the nurses. Her patient was having a difficult time and nobody, not even the doctors or the nurses could figure out why.

She walked over to see his opened eyes dashing back and forth, a sign that he was in a dream state but he appeared to be awake, though not responding to anybody, only to the nightmares that he was seeing in his mind.

Nick was in the midst of a open space, he was in a room, it was cold, and there were voices that were screaming at him to save them, crying out for his help. He was franticly opening closed doors,looking for the source of the screams,looking for the victims that were calling out for him, for him to help them.

Suddenly a voice from behind him was talking to him, it was low and full of venom,it wanted him to find the victims, find them but not to help them,"Only a victim can find the victims Mr Stokes. But a victim can not help another victim without having some type of repercussions."

"I'm not a victim, I'm a CSI, where are they you son of a bitch?" He turned to see if he could see the man with the voice but was unable to see anybody even in the bright light," You're just a coward hiding in the dark! Shoe yourself you murdering bastard!" he screamed into the air, the stark white room surrounding him,so white that it hurt his eyes. He quickly turned around,the vast display of doors suddenly disappeared. In the middle of the room a table set for a meal, the blood stained tablecloth adorned with candles and flower arrangements. A man in a mask set at the end of the long table, a little boy sat beside him.

He walked over and took a seat, the tablecloth was stained with human blood, the stench of blood and death surrounded them, but the man was smiling, taking him in as if he was his next victim, as if he was going to devour him in a instant.

"Who are you?" Nick asked wanting an immediate answer, looking over at the little boy, who seemed to be in shock, speechless,almost in a trance. He attempted to calm his own nerves, not wanting to alarm the little boy, he did not want him any more scared than he already was and he didn't want to create a situation that might endanger the boy's life.

"Nicky, you need to eat, your food is getting cold. I'll take care of you, don't worry about anything, I've taken care of everything." The man's hand reached over and stroked the little boy's face and he smiled, the voice of the man wanted to give comfort but instead it was giving him a feeling of dread, of a horror yet to be revealed, the man was evil,his face hidden behind a mask.

He glanced over at the boy, it was Joey. But it couldn't be Joey, he was in the hospital, he was safe, wasn't he? Weren't they safe? Were they in a safe place? He turned back around to face the masked man but he was no longer in the white room, he was at the Tetherman house, the bedroom where Joey's mother had been found dead.

He walked over to the dresser and stared down at the music box, he slowly reached towards the box to open it, it seemed out of place, it didn't fit in with the room with this mother. A overwhelming feeling hit him, he shouldn't open the box, the box was dangerous, it would kill whoever opened it. He needed to warn them.

"Don't open the box. Tell them not to open the box! They will die.", he started to mumble over and over. He looked around the room and saw the face looking down, his voice now louder, "Tell them not to open the box!" he reached over with frantic hands and attempted to grab Julianne's hand with his covered, restrained hands, sweat streaming down his face,"The music box will kill them. Tell them! Please tell them!" he pleaded with the nurse,his glassy eyes staring up at the woman hovering over him. He felt as if his heart was going to come out of his chest, his mind was racing and he had a feeling that he was coming out of his skin. He felt as if he were dying.

Julianna nodded, in hopes it would calm her patient, telling him what he wanted to hear,"I'll tell them, if you'll only quieten down. I need you to try to rest, if you don't the doctor will place you in a medicated coma state, that wouldn't be good, so just calm down Mr Stokes." her hands rubbing his arm and her voice giving him comforting words but it was not breaking through to his fevered mind.

He nodded finally and closed his eyes,"Tell them, just tell them! Please, please, tell Catherine, please." he continued to talk loudly as she took a cool cloth and placed it on his warm forehead, his cheek's red flush evident even in the dark space. She then turned and walked back to her desk outside his room, her patient continuing his restless movements, the doctor would be in soon but she felt he needed to get there now, so she picked up the phone and overhead paged a stat call for Dr Madden.


End file.
